Hot Air Balloon
by Dreams of Disaster
Summary: James Potter tries one last time to gain the favor of fair Lily Evans. Will he succeed, or will he be doomed to a life without the green-eyed, red-haired beauty by his side? Really long oneshot and some mild language.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of J. K. Rowling's characters (e.g. James Potter, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, etc.) and I do not own the lyrics or music to the Owl City song "Hot Air Balloon". "Hot Air Balloon" was my primary inspiration to writing this oneshot fanfiction. I do not reap any monetary benefits for my writing efforts. Thank you. A completely insignificant fact is that this oneshot takes place during a point in time in the Harry Potter Universe commonly known as "The Marauders' Era".

Thank you for reading. Enjoy the ride.

* * *

**_We wrote a prelude_**  
**_To our own fairy tale_**  
**_And bought a parachute_**  
**_At a church rummage sale_**

"Padfoot," James Potter started, darting glances left and right suspiciously across the Gryffindor table.

"Mhmhm, wuzzup Wongs?" Sirius Black grumbled through the glob of pasty pancakes in his mouth. He promptly spat the remainder of the pancakes onto his plate, causing an outbreak of hisses and mutters of "Watch it!" from some sixth-year girls chatting nearby. With his mouth now empty, he washed the sweet taste of the pancakes down with a glass of pumpkin juice. "Hey, mate," he said, brushing dark ringlets down into his eyes, "do I still have flour all over me? I swear, the Hogwarts house elves need to improve their pancake recipe-"

'Wongs' seemed to get angrier by the moment. "Shh," he urged, "and pay attention!"

"What's in your knickers now, Prongsie?" Sirius asked, reclining as far back as he could on the bench without falling over. "Wait, are you Prongs at all? Oh, no," he cried, gesticulating dramatically, "Prongs is captured somewhere and you, Snivellus, are masquerading in his guise with the help of Polyjuice Potion! Give Prongs back - now!" Sirius grabbed James's tie and proceeded to attempt to choke him with it.

Two minutes of frenzied grappling ensued, with most of the Great Hall riveted to the not-so-strange sight of James and Sirius wrestling, before James finally forcibly dragged his best friend out of the hallway and into an unused classroom. He then immediately let go, cast a silencing charm, and Sirius caught himself on a dusty desk.

"Why'd you do the exact opposite of what I wanted you to do?" James yelled, his face turning redder by the second. His wire-rimmed glasses slid down to the end of his nose, before he impatiently pushed them back up with his pinky. "I wanted you to stay discreet! D. I. S. C. R. E. E. T. What part of that word didn't you understand?"

Sirius's face reflected utmost calm and serenity. "This is about Lilykins again, isn't it?" he asserted, and then nodded knowingly when he glimpsed James's stricken expression. "I saw you making doe eyes at her, _again_ this year. When are you going to realize that she just doesn't want you that way?"

"Am I really that bad at flirting?" James asked, face unsure and insecure.

"There's a long row of girls who want to go out with you, James," Sirius sighed, "and it's not your fault that the only one you've actually gone after is head-over-heels for Mr. Shampoo-Is-My-Ultimate-Boggart."

"I'm just going to try one last time," James stated, his mouth set in a determined line. "If she doesn't respond, I guess I'll... give up," he slumped, unable to imagine a future without the red-haired, green-eyed, spunky Lily Evans by his side.

Sirius merely sighed and shook his head. In his opinion, the argumentative Lily didn't deserve his best mate. But he would aid Prongs one last time.

"So, what do you need me to do?" he questioned, and nearly cowered when he noticed James's excited and lovestruck features.

"I love you, Padfoot!" he screamed, launching himself at the Grim animagus. "And I need you to get me this Muggle contraption. I think it's called a heat ballad, or an air heater, oh - I remember - a hot air balloon!"

_I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this,_ Sirius thought morosely.

* * *

**_And with a mean sewing machine_**  
**_And miles of thread_**  
**_We sewed the day above L.A._**  
**_In navy and red_**

Four hours, forty-one stores, five aneurysms, and seven Obliviates later...

"Here it is," Sirius gasped, sucking in breaths of precious air. "Just so you know, Jamesie, you owe me a favor for each Muggle shop I visited." He seemed to try to calculate how many he had Apparated to on his fingers. "Like forty or something," he said, giving up on finding precisely how many. "And you owe me ten more favors for forcing me to steal - um, borrow - Uncle Arcturus's wand and bypass the Trace by performing not one, but _seven_ Memory Charms!"

"Yeah, sure," James affirmed, running his hands over the blue-and-red hot air balloon that was conveniently parked on the grassy lawn near the Black Lake. "It's beautiful! But why isn't anyone seeing it? Thinking along those lines, why isn't Minnie coming out here to toss detentions to us like they're candy?"

Sirius puffed up with pride. "Of course it's gorgeous - I chose it! And do you really think I'm that dumb? I also cast like ten Notice-Me-Not charms all over the thing. So, you owe me, like, ten more favors!"

"Thanks, mate," James said, hazel eyes glinting as he half-turned from where he was scrutinizing the craftsmanship of the balloon. "But do you think this balloon will really fly? And do you..."

Sirius's gray eyes softened as he watched his friend add powdery glitter, and alter the navy and red alternating colors of the balloon, to Lily's favorite color - maroon.

_Lily Evans, _he thought fiercely, _you better make Jamesie happy after all he's doing for you. Don't you see how much he cares? He's not the arrogant prat you think he always is._

* * *

**_We wound a race track_**  
**_Through your mom's kitchen chairs_**  
**_And fought the shadows back_**  
**_Down your dark basement stairs_**

"Hey, Lilyflower!" James yelled as he entered the otherwise empty Head's Wing that he shared with his crush. After studying Lily's schedule and stalking her, he knew by heart that this hour was her free period. Therefore, she would either be in the library or the Head's Wing - he felt it was the latter.

"What is it, Potter?" Emerald green eyes peered up at him furiously; apparently Lily had been disturbed from reading her favorite book - Moste Potente Potions.

"Will you go out with me?" James asked, a goofy, lopsided grin stretching his aristocratic face. He had already expected the answer, and had prepared an amazing comeback...

"...no, Potter," Lily sighed wearily, attention wavering and focusing again on the large tome on her lap. _Not a good sign, notgoodnotgood, _James screamed inwardly, before wincing slightly at the slap that would inevitably come after his next move. He snatched the book away from Lily and held it up high where she could not reach it. Lily glared and opened her mouth to shriek like a banshee, but James pressed a finger over her lips, hoping she wouldn't be crass enough to bite it.

"I didn't say you had to go to Hogsmeade with me," James paused, "I asked if you would only come out to the lake. I have something to show you."

"Is this like the time you had Remus transfigure a pumpkin into the likeness of a Cinderella carriage with Pettigrew as the horseman? Is whatever you are trying to show me like the time you made Black charm custom-made Filibuster fireworks to-" she blushed furiously, but pushed on bravely, "-to look like me _kissing _you?"

"It's not like that," James got down on his knees and bowed extravagantly. "I swear upon my Gryffindor honor that the thing I want to show you outside is not like anything else I might have done previously that you interpreted as humiliation."

"It doesn't involve another prank on Severus, does it?" Lily asked, her forehead crinkled in apprehension.

James bit back several unsavory things he wanted to say about old Snivelly. He had assumed that Lily had given up on Snape after their legendary argument in fifth year. Clearly, he was very much mistaken. "No," he replied out loud, wrapping his Quidditch-calloused hand around Lily's slim one and pulling her towards the window before she could object.

"Up!" he shouted and mentally crossed his fingers. His fears were unfounded however, as his faithful Cleansweep rose into the air outside the window. Lily whimpered slightly. _Oh, I forgot she was scared of heights. Too late now..._

Seconds later, James had clambered onto the broom, and dragged his hesitant companion along with him. As they coasted along the stone turrets of Hogwarts castle, a sense of utmost freedom permeated James and he smiled ever-so-slightly when he recognized delicate fingers dig into his sides.

"Don't you dare tell anyone," Lily's angry voice interrupted his musings. "I'm only holding onto you so I won't fall to my untimely death. Seriously, James, do you always do these life-threatening stunts?"

_She called me James, she called me James, _James's inner voice sang with happiness. And then... _Sure, Lilyflower, you're only squeezing the life out of me because you don't want to die. Why will you never tell me you like me... as much as I like you?_

* * *

**_I lit a match, then let it catch_**  
**_To light up the room_**  
**_And then you yelled as we beheld_**  
**_An old maroon hot air balloon_**

Lily gaped as James turned the last corner of Hogwarts's walls with an extra flourish. For a moment, her roiling stomach dropped straight out of her body. She was truly lost for words, even when James turned around and grinned at seeing her reaction.

"A hot air balloon...," she trailed off, feeling oddly touched. It was even maroon, and very few people (she could count them on her fingers) knew it was her favorite color. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice the broom slowly descending to the grass below.

"So... do you like it?" James asked, flashing her a charming smirk, and for a thin sliver of a moment, Lily could almost see the charismatic boy - no, man - who had endeared the entire female population of Hogwarts to him. For a moment, she could see the man who had pursued her through the years, going to the effort to pull off magical feats for her attention, to openly claim her as only his. And for the first time, Lily let the part that she had nearly stamped out for many years, out.

"James, I don't like it," she smiled to herself as she watched his face fall and crumple. "I love it!" And she was graced with a responding smile, blinding in its brilliance.

"C'mon!" James yelled childishly, pulling her along lightly as they both climbed into the balloon's basket. A soft summer breeze blew, and Lily was struck with the surreal romance of it all.

"_Incendio!_" James cast, pointing his mahogany wand upward, where the burners should be, but weren't. "I thought you'd like to fly, magic style," he explained almost shyly, and Lily felt her lips curve into an understanding smile despite herself. Then, all of her thoughts were erased as the balloon began to lift, tilting the wicker basket they were in from side to side. Lily slid, falling into James's chest, but strangely, she didn't mind so much...

_I think I love you. Is love the burning passion to be closer, to push harder to make you this happy? I've been hoping for so long that... you like. Scratch that - love... me back. _James thought, watching Lily's wistful smile as they sailed higher upwards.

* * *

**_I'll be out of my mind_**  
**_And you'll be out of ideas_**  
**_Pretty soon_**

_Strangely enough,_ Lily thought, _this isn't as weird as the other times he tried to get me to go out with him. I could put together a twenty-page list of the most... unique events that occurred. I always felt he did in on purpose, to pick on me, to drive me crazy. Did he really like me that way, since the very beginning?_

_When I tried to get her to go out with me, she always refused. Always. At first, I might have persisted just because she was a challenge among those girls who bowed down to my charms like I was the only guy to walk the Earth. She was different. But somewhere along the line, she became less like something to conquer and more like a real, solid, warm person... That's when I started pranking old Snivelly who was too close to her for his own good. I pranked him so many times that I began running out of ways to humiliate him. I wonder what Lily's thinking right now...  
_

* * *

**_So let's spend_**  
**_The afternoon in a cold hot air balloon_**  
**_Leave your jacket behind_**  
**_Lean out and touch the treetops over town_**

Lily pressed herself against James's body, feeling the pleasurable warmth seep through his clothes and onto her icy cold skin.

"Gods, you're freezing, Lils!" James exclaimed, wrapping his arms around himself and shivering violently. "How do you do that?" He buried his face into Lily's long locks of red hair.

Lily smiled dreamily to herself and stared out into the distance, before regaining her senses. "I forgot my jacket in the Head's Wing, when you oh-so-graciously dragged me onto a flying stick in the middle of the air. That's why I have a temperature beneath zero degrees, James. Sarcasm intended." The subject of her ire winced. "And I didn't give you permission to stick your face in my hair." James recoiled instinctively, an apology on his lips. "But you can keep it that way, anyways," Lily murmured, so softly that James had to lean forward to listen. He smirked victoriously. Finally, he was getting somewhere!

"Wait, we're flying over the Forbidden Forest, aren't we?" Lily asked suddenly, leaning out of the basket and peering over the edge to see the ground. The wind whistled past her ears, ubiquitous, and tangling in her hair as though in a mysterious, artistic dance.

James merely nodded, feeling affirming out loud was a waste of words. _Besides,_ he thought, _this was probably a rhetorical_ _question. _

"It's... stunning," Lily sighed, reaching out trembling fingers to skim the treetops of several evergreen and birch while they floated by. James rather thought Lily herself was stunning and candidly told her just that.

"Um, thanks," the girl replied, flustered, "but I'm not exactly the prettiest person you can ever find. You can find lots of other girls to be with and they look so much better than I do. To tell you the truth," she confided, pausing, "I was never quite sure why you went after me when there were people willing to bend over backwards to go out with you."

James surveyed Lily's honest, earnest face and decided it was time to do some damage control. "Lily," he paused, "you are the most comely, delightful, elegant, fair, graceful, pleasant woman I have ever met. And you can acknowledge your own faults, contrary to my past girlfriends who think they're the centers of the universe." Lily blushed slightly, but then scowled as the words 'past girlfriends' ruined the moment of admission. "What, did you swallow a thesaurus or something?" she asked, referring to James's liberal use of adjectives to describe her.

"What's a thesaruz?" James returned, clueless. "Is that some kind of symbol you learned in Ancient Runes? And what does that have to do with our conversation?"

"Oh," Lily said, as though realizing something important, "I've forgotten that you're Pureblood. What with the hot air balloon and the way you usually act, it's not so hard to think that you know a lot about the Muggle World." Her pink lips - James followed their motion greedily, like a man in the desert searching for water - curled into a full-on pout. He leaned forward, giving Lily time to move out of the way.

_I wonder if she's going to let me kiss her. I wish..._

* * *

**_I can't wait_**  
**_To kiss the ground_**  
**_Wherever we touch back down_**

He was kissing something soft and smooth. And it was shaking. Hard.

James blinked, but nothing focused before his eyes. _Oh, _he recalled. _My glasses must have fallen off._ Groping along the floor of the wicker basket, he felt the familiar lenses in his hands and placed them on the bridge of his nose. A snort reached his ears, followed by more snorts, giggles, and even mocking laughter.

The source of the noise was Lily, who was leaning against the edge of the basket, nearly sagging as she sniggered. James couldn't help but notice that the afternoon sun had cast a rosy glow on her hair, turning it a lovely red-gold. Her green, green eyes seemed to possess gold and blue flecks, turbulent like the ocean. Dusty caramel freckles that usually blended in with her pale skin stood out more vibrantly than ever. James didn't think he had seen anything more beautiful.

"Well, that was certainly one way to have our first kiss," Lily snickered, starting to calm down from her earlier hysterics.

"What?" James asked, disoriented. "What happened? I did kiss you, didn't I? I didn't kiss the balloon, instead?"

"No, you sure kissed me," Lily snorted again in an unladylike fashion. Then, she gestured towards a part of her face that had James slapping his forehead in frustration. "On the chin."

"I'm sorry," James said, trying to placate, or at the least - lessen - the chance of a patented Lily Explosion.

"That's fine," the kissed-on-the-chin girl replied, "as long as you don't do it again next time."

James nodded unconsciously until his brain caught up with the words spoken. _Next time?!_

* * *

**_La la la la la laaa_**  
**_La la la la la laaa_**

* * *

**_We drank the Great Lakes_**  
**_Like cold lemonade_**  
**_And both got stomach aches_**  
**_Sprawled out in the shade_**

"Lily Marie Evans," James Potter stated in utmost solemnity, before the doubtful eyes of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and even some Slytherins, "will you do me the pleasure of going out with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Everyone held their breaths and leaned forward unanimously for a moment. There were no theatrics or pranks, only a simple question, a dream that could be shattered by just one word.

"No," Lily said, gazing up from Moste Potente Potions, "I'm not going to Hogsmeade with you. But I'd be happy to have a private picnic near the lake with you."

"Thanks, Lilyflower!" James chirped elatedly and drifted over to his friends as though floating on a cloud. Remus Lupin shook his head while Peter Pettigrew observed James with an expression akin to admiration.

"What did you do to her, mate?" Sirius asked, mouth hanging open in abject surprise. "Did you enchant her? A charm? A potion? Tell me what it was so I can get McKinnon to go out with me!"

"A hot air balloon," James replied reverently. "I got my dream girl 'cause of a hot air balloon."

**HOTAIRBALLOON**

Lily was lying down in the shade of a willow tree, her flowered sundress catching the last glints of an evening sun. Next to her was a certain James Potter. If someone had told her a month ago that she would consent to be within two meters of Potter's body, she would have called him (possibly Potter himself) as nutty as a fruitcake, and proceeded to hex the living crap out of the boy. Now, well, she wasn't sure of anything anymore...

"Hey," James yawned, twirling his Gryffindor tie with his right index finger, "do you feel like going inside now?"

"I can't," Lily moaned, shooting a weak, impotent glare at her... boyfriend? "You made sure of that! Why by Merlin's saggy Y-fronts did you bring out so much lemonade, anyways? I can't get up without all of it sloshing around!"

James leaned in again, and kept his eyes open this time. He wouldn't miss Lily's lips again.

_My reputation as a world-class kisser is at stake!_

* * *

**_So bored to death you held your breath_**  
**_And I tried not to yawn_**  
**_You made my frown turn upside down_**  
**_And now my worries are gone_**

"Florean Fortescue's ice cream really is the best," Lily stated as she swirled her vanilla sundae into a creamy mixture in the proffered glass cup. She had donned the characteristic robes of a Ministerial Unspeakable - dirty gray. James scowled at the dull, uninteresting hue and felt a surge of relief at the fact that staying in a dank dungeon didn't seem to have taken a toll on Lily's beauty.

Lily cleared her throat delicately, attempting not to draw attention and to startle James out of his reverie at the same time. "Thanks for inviting me here for lunch, James," she smiled, but a disapproving look somehow managed to worm its way onto her open expression.

"Um, Lils-"

"Well, it was nice to spend some time with you here," Lily continued, putting her now-empty cup down absently and fishing for a loose galleon in her purse. It rolled out and onto the ground, and she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear before leaning down to pick it up. "Sometimes," she said, straightening again, "I think I can share everything with you and just be me. And I'll pay for my ice cream..."

"Lily-"

"Don't worry; I don't like having other people pay for me - even friends. I have to be back at the Department by five. What about-"

"Lily Marie Evans, which I hope will change in the next couple of minutes!"

Lily, confused, sat back down in the private windowed alcove that she had shared with James for the last hour. "What's wrong, James?" she asked. "Make whatever you have to say snappy," she bit out, glancing anxiously at her watch. "Head Unspeakable Underwood will be terribly upset if I arrive late."

"Lily Marie Evans," James started out, much the same as he had a year ago when he had first publicly asked his girlfriend out and she had agreed. The subtle innuendo didn't go amiss on the recipient of the words, and she frowned, brow furrowing. Then, the man with untidy black hair sank to one knee in front of his one-time crush and pulled out a diamond encrusted box from his robes. "I know this is going to sound really cliche, but will you... marry me?" He flipped open the lid of the box, revealing a silver ring topped with a beautifully-carved, glittering emerald.

_Oh, my Merlin, _Lily thought, _he's really serious about this? He's that serious about... us?_

_Will she say "No" again? Maybe we haven't been girlfriend-boyfriend long enough yet. Maybe I'm moving too fast with this relationship..., _James sighed internally.

"Yes, yes, yesyesyes!" James was brought back to Earth by Lily's ecstatic cry as she admired the new addition to her ring finger. "Oh, James..."

"At your service, milady," James gave a trademark lopsided smile. "Always, for the future Mrs. Potter."

"I love you," Lily said, somewhat seriously, though her eyes were dancing with unrestrained happiness.

"And I, you," James returned. "But you really need to be getting back to the Department, don't you? Methinks we have spent enough time here already."

"Oh, bother," the bride-to-be sighed as she glanced at her watch again. "I'm ten minutes late."

_James, I'm really happy that we're getting married, but right now, I'm also really pissed. You do know that Underwood's going to be yelling at me, not you. He doesn't care if Dumbledore's hosting the Dark Lord's wedding, as long as all his Unspeakable are 'punctual' and 'on time'._

* * *

**_I'll be out of my mind_**  
**_And you'll be out of ideas_**  
**_Pretty soon_**  
**_So let's spend_**  
**_The afternoon in a cold hot air balloon_**  
**_Leave your jacket behind_**  
**_Lean out and touch the treetops over town_**  
**_I can't wait_**  
**_To kiss the ground_**  
**_Wherever we touch back down_**

The summer breeze whipped through the open, stained-glass church windows that were situated in the rafters. James Potter waited in his tuxedo at one end of the hall, a bouquet of lilies in his arms. Beside him, Sirius had also donned a tuxedo for the occasion, but he was tugging uncomfortably at the lapel and complaining that the entire outfit was "too stiff". However, James could see that this fidgeting had almost no effect on what Sirius had termed 'my innate handsomeness', because several invited, unmarried ladies were cooing over, whispering, and pointing at the "best man, who is a bachelor, y'know". James wrinkled his nose as he realized that some of those 'unmarried ladies' were, in fact, married and others were middle-aged women - at best.

Then, the groom turned his attention to his bride. Lily was wearing a floaty white dress of lace that skirted her toes. A long veil trailed behind her, and James couldn't help but notice Lily's dark red curls, like fire in their radiance.

**HOTAIRBALLOON**

"I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving. I promise to try to be on time. But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you. I love you," James said honestly. He noticed Lily smile when he mentioned 'punctuality'. It was always a touchy subject for her, due to her partial and capricious Head of Department at the Ministry of Magic. Personally, James didn't have the same problem, as he was Head Auror himself.

"I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving. I promise to keep a sense of humor. But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you. I love you," Lily repeated the same verse, but with one variation.

"Sense of humor!" Sirius shouted, causing whispers to scatter across the hall at his scandalous action. "Lilykins, I didn't know you had one! Oh, no!" he pretended to sob in earnest. "Poor Prongslet will be corrupted from the very beginning! Gods, Lily," he got down on his knees, "promise to let me visit ickle baby Prongs!"

"I knew the Blacks were a bit loose in the head," Augusta Longbottom commented disapprovingly, watching the scene with beady eyes. "To think that he would interrupt the reading of the vows. Unheard of!"

"Shut up, mum," Frank Longbottom, Auror, and friend of James Potter, countered mildly.

"Do you, James Charlus Potter, take this woman, Lily Marie Evans, as your lawful and wedded wife?" the priest asked impatiently, tapping his wand against a nearby podium.

"I do," James smiled.

"And do you, Lily Marie Evans, take this man, James Charlus Potter, as your lawful and wedded husband?" he repeated wearily.

"I do," Lily beamed.

"Very well," the priest intoned somberly. "You may kiss the bride," he nodded to James.

James Potter grinned mischievously and pulled Lily Evans - no, Potter - into a searing kiss of love, hope, and possibilities. But when James retreated, grinning roguishly, he saw Lily - his Lily - pouting cutely again. _She was too proud to say she wanted more out loud, _James recognized, mentally.

_Well,_ he thought as he coalesced with his wife into a storm of rainbows, colors, sensations, and beauty, _I might as well indulge her. After all, we have an eternity ahead of us. We should use it well._

* * *

**_I'll be out of my mind_**  
**_And you'll be out of ideas_**  
**_Pretty soon_**  
**_So let's spend_**  
**_The afternoon in a cold hot air balloon_**  
**_Leave your jacket behind_**  
**_Lean out and touch the treetops over town_**  
**_I can't wait_**  
**_To kiss the ground_**  
**_Wherever we touch back down_**

In loving memory of:

James Potter Lily Potter

Born 27TH March 1960 Born 30TH January 1960

Died 31ST October 1981 Died 31ST October 1981

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

And sixteen years later, standing on his parents' shared grave, Harry Potter, Prongslet, The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, felt a single tear trace down the curve of his face and slide down soundlessly into bitter snow.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for getting to the end of this oneshot; I know it was really long. Constructive criticism is by all means welcome. Please Read and Review!

Another note is that the wedding vows were copied and pasted, not original. They were from...

. ?MsdVisit=1

I'm sorry; the link isn't pasting right. Hmmm.

Thanks again.

~Dreams of Disaster


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